You eat right and hit the gym religiously, but you still can't get rid of stubborn fat. You're evening thinking about drastic measures like liposuction or even a tummy tuck.

But as soon as you learn about the costs of surgery and the recovery time, you go back to eating salads and renewing your gym membership. If you can identify with this scenario, a procedure that is sweeping the nation might be right for you.

“CoolSculpting” is the new buzz word in the world of cosmetic procedures. It's not about weight loss, but losing inches.

One procedure taking the country by storm uses cold to make fat go away. CoolSculpting uses cold air, at about 14 degrees, to freeze fat cells. The cells die off and are re-absorbed by the body. Over time, six weeks or longer, health experts say individuals will notice their clothes fitting better.

Rhonda, a local mother and grandmother, said she is not trying to be a bikini model -- she just wants to look good in her clothes and feel good about herself.

"I exercise every day. I eat all the right things, but I just wasn't getting rid of some of that stubborn body fat and this was the solution for me," she said.

Rhonda went to the Mason office of Dr. Amy Brenner, OB/GYN. Brenner has two CoolSculpting machines.

"It really works and we're seeing great results with our patients," said Brenner.

Brenner said there are certain people who are more right than others for CoolSculpting. It’s not a weight loss procedure, he said.

"The perfect patient for CoolSculpting is somebody who already maintains a healthy lifestyle and has troubled, stubborn areas of fat," Brenner said. The patients he sees who are interested in CoolSculpting, are trying to avoid surgery, downtime, recovery time and the expense that comes with invasive procedures.

Kait Collins is a trained CoolSculpting technician in Brenner's office who is starting what will be Rhonda's second time getting the treatment. Collins said the patient's skin can't be damaged by the intense cold because of a patch or barrier that is applied to the skin before the CoolSculpting applicator is applied.

What does the procedure feel like?

"It just feels like something pinching,” Rhonda said. “It really is not, I was prepared for the worst. I thought it was going to be painful, but it wasn't. When they start the cooling, you really don't feel it after that."

Each session takes about an hour. If the facility has more than one machine, two areas can be treated in half the time.

The results are not immediate and can take more than a month to be noticed, medical experts said.

And that was fine with Kim, a 31-year-old undergoing CoolSculpting treatment. She completed her two sessions that treated her abdomen, love handles and her bra line.

But is 31 too young for the procedure?

"I don't think so, it's all about you,” Kim said. “It's how you feel about your body. I work out. I eat healthy, but I had stubborn fat that didn't go away no matter how many sit-ups or crunches I did. I just wasn't comfortable in some of my clothes and this was a way to make me way more comfortable and confident."

Kim said her husband was skeptical and warned Kim that she would be wasting her money. Kim said, when her results started showing after a few weeks, he was impressed and tried it himself.

"He saw my results and he was like, 'Wow! I can't believe that worked."

Patients are warned about possible side effects that include redness or bruising and temporary numbness.

The cost of CoolSculpting depends on the areas treated. It can range in price from $750 to $1,400 per area.

Some patients are happy with one treatment on each area, but other patients said they need more than one to get satisfying results.

The sessions are scheduled sometimes months apart and the process begins with a consultation. The staff at Brenner's office said those who are interested in the procedure ask the following questions:

Is the office 'certified' by Zeltiq, which owns the Coolsculpting technology?

Who will be overseeing the patient's treatment?

Does the office have a physician monitoring treatments and how many treatments has the office performed?

Finally, health experts urge those new to the procedure to be patient. The results are not noticeable for several weeks.